The French government’s defense of oil giant TotalEnergies has ignited a fierce political battle, with left-wing presidential candidates and lawmakers accusing the executive of protecting corporate profits while ordinary citizens struggle with record fuel prices.
A Government Unwilling to “Bother” Total
At the heart of the controversy are remarks by Serge Papin, Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises and Commerce, who said Wednesday that he did not want to “bother” the company, which already caps its fuel prices in France. Papin, who also oversees purchasing power policy, argued that TotalEnergies has made considerable efforts since the onset of the energy crisis and should not be “threatened.”
“What I want is for Total to continue during this period to cap its price at 2.25 euros for diesel and 1.99 euros for unleaded,” Papin said, echoing a government consistently eager to defend the French oil major.
Left-Wing Fury: “They’re in Total’s Hands”
The remarks drew immediate and sharp condemnation from across the left.
Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party and a candidate in the party’s primary, responded scathingly on social media. “Making young people, workers, retirees and the sick pay their share apparently doesn’t bother them,” he wrote, noting that TotalEnergies posted “11.2 billion euros in profits in the first half of 2026 alone.”
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, speaking at a press conference late Wednesday morning, denounced what he called “the bourgeoisie at the helm of the state, which takes no interest in — or knows little of — the suffering of ordinary people.”
Éric Coquerel, the France Unbowed (LFI) president of the National Assembly’s Finance Committee, put it bluntly on social media: “In reality, Serge Papin and the government are in Total’s hands, and that is deeply troubling.”
Glucksmann vs. Bregeon: A War of Words
The controversy extends beyond domestic taxation. Raphaël Glucksmann, another Socialist primary candidate, earlier in the week accused the French executive of “blocking” an initiative by several European countries seeking to tax the windfall profits energy companies have reaped in recent months.
“Emmanuel Macron and Sébastien Lecornu don’t want to upset Mr. Pouyanné, the CEO of TotalEnergies,” Glucksmann said on franceinfo, referring to the company’s chief executive, Patrick Pouyanné.
Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon fired back on the same network Wednesday, calling the accusation “a lie.” She insisted that “France is not blocking this initiative,” recalling that the Prime Minister had said in the spring that he had no objection in principle to such a measure — though he indicated a preference for a European mechanism over a new France-only tax.
Five Nations Called for Windfall Levy — Then Silence
The Prime Minister’s earlier comments came in response to an initiative by five countries — Spain, Austria, Germany, Italy and Portugal — calling for a tax on exceptional profits earned by energy companies because of the conflict in the Middle East, mirroring a similar move in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since those statements of intent, however, little has materialized.
Aurore Lalucq, a Member of the European Parliament and a close ally of Glucksmann, responded on social media: “You have been blocking for months, and I am a witness to it.” She called on the government to “demonstrate” its commitment to the exceptional tax, adding: “We are therefore waiting for an official declaration, as other governments — Germany and Spain, for example — have made.”
Fuel Prices Soar as Purchasing Power Falters
The political confrontation unfolds against a backdrop of record pump prices that continue to squeeze French households. The government has extended aid for high-mileage drivers through December, but fuel consumption has dropped sharply, further straining public finances.
With the presidential election approaching and the cost-of-living crisis dominating the political agenda, the question of whether France will join its European neighbors in taxing energy windfalls remains unresolved — and increasingly explosive.
